“After my surgery I was in that leg-brace for 16 weeks and was restricted to having to be completely non-weight bearing on my (right) leg,” Chrissy said.

It was a long haul of restrictions and physical therapy; a process that put Chrissy’s patience and commitment to the test. In fact, it wasn’t until 20 weeks after her surgery that Chrissy was able to walk without the use of crutches.

“For weeks after the surgery I couldn’t even lift my own leg,” Chrissy said. “Then when I could lift it, it would shake very badly from how much the muscles had deteriorated from not using them for so long.”

The latest good news for Chrissy came when her doctor he gave her the “okay” to exercise again. She will finally be able work on strengthening, not just her knee, but her entire body. Her lack of mobility and the restrictions it put on activities that were required in order for her to heal caused her upper body and “good” leg to weaken as well. Of course, even though she is able to work out again there are still some limitations as to what she can and cannot do, but it is a huge stride in Chrissy’s progress.

“My limitations are: no running, no sports and no machines that require me to lift weight with my leg without my feet being planted,” Chrissy said. “As long as my feet are planted on the ground or on a flat and stable surface then I can do it.”

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So Chrissy is back in the gym working out, building her strength back up and toning her muscles. Working out is harder than she thought it would be, and she fatigues quickly. Before the accident she was locked into a regular exercise routine without any restrictions and she was progressing rapidly. Though she was aware that her injured leg was going to be much weaker, she was surprised as to the extent that the rest of her body had weakened as well. Her strength and endurance had greatly diminished.

For a moment she was frustrated, but it had always been her philosophy that “Complaining about my situation and feeling sorry for myself isn’t going to help anything,” Chrissy said. “When I stop to think about it, my recovery has been a pretty amazing process. I literally went from not being able to walk or bear any weight on my leg for months to working out at the gym again!”

She finished her workout and her face glowed with a look of victory. She was back and had proved to herself that she was ready to take her progress to the next level.

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And don’t forget to lend a word or two of support for Chrissy in our COMMENTS section below, or share your own personal triumphs!

Be proud of your accomplishment, you’ve done something great! Many people may not realize that the only thing stopping them from getting stronger after a surgery is their mind but you made the decision to train again and obtain a new level of fitness. Yes, after not using a muscle group, we get weaker so its important to set small attainable goals.

I had a mastectomy in 2010 which left my left shoulder much weaker than it used to be. I really started training my shoulder at the beginning of this year so, its still not as strong as my right side but I train it with the expectation of just getting stronger with each workout.